2011 January | Content Delivery and Security Association

Cinram Acquires 1K Studios in Digital Services Expansion

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Less than a week after it revealed details of a corporate refinancing and recapitalization plan, Cinram International announces its acquisition of digital media specialist 1K Studios for an undisclosed sum. Los Angeles-based 1K, which has provided creative and technical services to the likes of Apple, Paramount Home Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, brings to the disc manufacturer an expertise in digital content ranging from Blu-ray 3D and movie downloads to mobile and tablet apps. Under terms of the deal, 1K Studios’ management and team of designers, programmers, information architects, animators, and content producers will continue to operate from the company’s existing Los Angeles studio. “In the ever-evolving digital landscape, we must adapt our business model to meet our partners’ needs,” says Cinram chief executive Steve Brown in a statement. “1K Studios is proven in delivering innovative, creative and valuable digital content. I’m convinced that with our combined resources and know-how we'll offer clients a superior service.” “Cinram has a long history of re-inventing itself as media has advanced over the decades,” adds Matt Kennedy, co-founder of 1K Studios. “We’re excited by the challenge of helping to bring about another transformation.”

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Cinram Announces Refinancing Plan

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Cinram International announced Wednesday a proposed refinancing and recapitalization transaction with its current lenders, as the media manufacturer and distributor looks to further reduce its outstanding debt. Cinram also said that it had agreed to the material terms of a new three-year deal with a major customer, subject to completion of the refinancing and recapitalization. Steve Brown, Cinram chief executive, said in a statement that the refinancing “represents a reasonable and fair transaction for Cinram, its lenders and its unitholders, and it meets Cinram’s previously stated business objectives of improving its capital structure.” A majority of Cinram’s investors already have consented in writing to the plan, the details of which are available at the company’s website.

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More of Today’s News Headlines from CDSA

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Android Tablets Gain on Apple iPad in Fourth Quarter (Bloomberg) Connected Devices Proliferate, But What Works Best? (Home Media Magazine) Clearwire Says Netflix’s ISP data is Incomplete (CNET) Payments by Borders Late Again (The New York Times) FCC Says Net Neutrality Lawsuits Filed Too Soon (Ars Technica)

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Survey: Free Content Trumps Paid Among iPad Users

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

More than three quarters of iPad owners (76%) use their iPads at least five days a week, while 55% of owners use the device everyday, according to Knowledge Networks. But these users are largely bringing a “free Internet” mindset to the iPad, with only a small portion of users willing to pay for content. The research firm’s recent survey of 205 iPad owners and users shows a preference of an ad-supported model for content access over a pay model by nearly a 6-to-1 ratio. Additionally, six of the seven top reported iPad activities are familiar ones such as web surfing and email. Some 70% of iPad users have read an e-book on the device, while 61% have read an electronic magazine or journal, and 51% have watched network TV programs. Yet only 13% of iPad users would be willing to pay extra for an iPad-friendly version of a print magazine or TV show that they already pay for in its conventional format (i.e., a magazine or pay-TV subscription). Users who watch TV episodes or movies on their iPads most often learn about the content from branded apps created by services such as Netflix, SlingBox, or YouTube. Word-of-mouth comes in second in the Knowledge Networks survey, ahead of TV networks’ own apps and Apple’s iTunes store.

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Amazon Testing Video Streaming As Value Add?

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Amazon.com apparently has been testing free unlimited streaming of some 5,000 movies and TV shows as a value-add to its $79-a-year Prime subscription service, according to a screenshot obtained by Engadget. Neither the news site nor story commenters who subscribe to Amazon Prime could corroborate the story this weekend, however. Prime currently exists as a premium shipping service for frequent Amazon.com customers. Subscribers receive unlimited two-day shipping on orders for entertainment media and a range of other products. At $79 a year, Engadget points out, a Prime subscription with a free-streaming bonus would cost less than Netflix’s $7.99-a-month Watch Instantly service. Amazon’s video-on-demand service currently offers a-la-carte streaming rentals and download purchases.

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First look: Honeycomb APIs power tablet-friendly Android apps

January 31, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, introduces a completely new user interface suitable for tablet devices. Google has also extended the platform's APIs so that third-party developers can make their applications work better on large form factors.

The Android 3.0 SDK preview, which was released last week, offers an early look at some of the new features available to developers. We've been scouring the documentation and looking at the source code examples to see how all the pieces fit together. In this article, we will give you a concise overview of several key new features.

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How Egypt did (and your government could) shut down the Internet

January 30, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

How hard is it, exactly, to kill the Internet? Egypt seems to have been able to do it. But Egypt's situation isn't exactly the same as that in the Western world. And even though Egypt only has four big ISPs, the fact that everything went down after midnight local time suggests that it took considerable effort to accomplish the 'Net shut-off. After all, it seems unlikely that President Hosni Mubarak ordered the Internet to be shut down as he went to bed; such a decision must have been made earlier in the day, and then taken hours to execute.

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Relativity Media Taps Former PHE Executive

January 29, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Steve Bertram, former president of business operations for Paramount Home Entertainment, has been added as entertainment company Relativity Media’s COO and CFO.

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Regal Theater Chain Doubles Down on 3D

January 28, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

The largest theater circuit in the U.S. is betting that there is plenty of growth opportunity still to come in 3D films. Regal Entertainment Group is expanding is 3D cinema relationship with technology provider RealD, adding 3D capabilities to as many as 1,500 more screens as studios beef up their stereroscopic film slate. Regal already has RealD 3D capabilities installed for 1,500 screens. “Doubling our agreement for RealD 3D-enabled screens will allow us to play multiple 3D films at the same time and assure moviegoers the option of seeing films in a premium 3D format,” said Amy Miles, Regal chief executive, in a statement. According to RealD, studios plan to release 35 3D films in 2011, up from 22 films in 2010.

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PwC Expects Increased M&A Activity in Videogames, Social Media

January 28, 2011 · Posted in RSS Feeds · Comments Off

Merger and acquisition activity among media and entertainment companies in the U.S. outpaced the overall deal market in 2010, fueled by the industry’s continued shift to digital distribution, according to a new report from PwC. The firm looks for more dealmaking in 2011, particularly in the videogame and social media sectors of the business. “As the entertainment and media industry accelerates its transition to mobile access and dynamic content, cash reserves and improved debt financing conditions will allow companies and private equity firms to execute on M&A strategies focused on content offerings and to reach key audiences amid an increasingly digital environment,” said Thomas Rooney, US entertainment and media M&A leader, PwC. “With the growing influence of new media touch points, [entertainment and media] companies may also take advantage of strategic M&A plans to expand into new geographies and acquire new technologies.” Entertainment and media companies completed 804 M&A transactions in 2010, up 3% from the year prior. Total deal value decreased by 9.9% to $33.5 billion, PwC says; however, the firm notes that more transactions did not disclose their value last year, which could affect the actual value figures. So far in 2011, more than 200 deals have been announced, representing $24 billion in value. Chief among them is the recently approved merger between Comcast and NBC Universal. Detailed findings from the PwC report available here.

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